Cracker Jack
by Moe-the-Insomniac
Summary: Everyone knew something happened to Jack before Evelyn Mercer was able to get ahold of him, only, no one knew what. The story takes place after the events in the movie ' Four Brothers', obviously its Alternate Universe
1. Chapter One

Summary: Everyone knew something happened to Jack before Evelyn Mercer was able to get ahold of him, only, no one knew what. The story takes place after the events in the movie ' Four Brothers', obviously its Alternate Universe, Jack is still alive.

Rating- R, mostly for safety incase the content gets too out of hand

Disclaimer- I only own the plot and the characters I make up. Anything else is property of...i don't know, but it's not me

The room was bright, there was something about bright rooms that was intiminating, impersonaly. Like someone was trying to pry into him, get him to say more than he really wanted to say. And all it was was sunlight peering through an office window.

Then again, he was in a therapist's office, that's exactly what was going to happen.

But at the moment, he was the only person in the room. He had the chance to slowly putter himself across the crusty carpet, eyeing things he really didn't care that much about, but he just wanted to kill time. That, and he wanted to get his mind off being in that tiny room in the first place. The oak book shelf was lined with leather titles tha the had never heard of, but figured they were only there for show, that no one really did read them. Degrees from countless different schools hung off the wall about standing potted plants. It seemed like this person was showing off, when really they wanted to give off a sense of security. They wanted him to think that the person who was about to go ' one on one' with him was well educated to do what they're doing.

But he didn't care, he didn't even want to be there. He knew what was going on in his own head, what had happened to him before that day, and he sure didn't need some Harvard graduate to listen to him. Then again, it was either this, or two years in a correctional facility, at least thats what he called it.

The door open, and like a British soldier, he snapped back into a straight standing position. For the past week he had expected to be sititng in front of a woman old enough to be his grandmother, who would smile and nod a lot, write down a few things on a pad he'd never see, then come to the conclusion that soon enough he'd be shooting pedestrians from the top of the Sears Tower. Actually, he didn't even know yet, his back was to the girl.

" You must be Jack" a soft voice said from behind him.

He stepped around to see a face just as young as his kindly smiling back at him. Alright, so she may be his age, but she didn't seem like she wanted to look it. Dressed in a nice plaid suite, her hair slicked back into an elegant money tail. He wore the same clothes from the day he stopped growing, and air traffic control couldn't get a radar on his hair. He wasn't intiminated by her, and already, he was letting his gaurd down.

" Yeah" one word was hardly spoken without a crack in it, to think, puberty ended five years ago.

She made the first move, closing the distance between them and extending her hand, " nice to meet you, I'm Evelyn Jaeson".

Figures he'd get assigned to the therapist with that name. Thought it didn't seem to be a concern at the moment, he shook her hand in return, but could not direct his glare elsewhere. " Hi" he responded.

Evelyn polietly gestured for him to seat himself in a leather arm rest only a few feet from where she sat down herself. It felt like the electric chair, and any moment someone was going to pull the switch. She opened a begie folder across her lap on top of her clipboard, eye surfing a few pages, which were obviously all about him. She looked up at him and smirked. " There's no need to feel nervous".

Yeah right, he thought. He had the idea of switching seats to see if she still felt the same way.

He knew that she was staring at him, but he convinced himself that he was more interested in the boring pattern that was laced across the carpet. It was getting old rather fast. " Jack, why don't you tell me wy you're here".

Obviously, it was her job to make him feel like she was his authority, and for the next eight weeks, she was going to be, despite them obviously being part of the same generation.

" Read whats in that file, it should tell you everything". He still couldn't look at her.

" It'll let me in on a few things, but to be honest I'm not too concerned on how old you were when you had the chicken pox".

Jack's eyes perked in her direction, " that's in there? How old was I? I can never remember".

Her smile seemed to have shifted downward a bit, " you can feed me bullshit for as long as you want, I'm well prepared for that".

He mocked an eyebrow, " of course you are, you get paid either way". Great, less than ten minutes and he was already beginning to give her a hard time.

It didn't seem to bother her though. " Look, anything you say here, its not like I go to a bar every night and broadcast these things to my friends. No ones going to know".

" Except the judge, right?".

She leaned further back into her chair, " no, that's not how court sessions work. All the judge is going to read is my final evaluation. It's basically a summary of whether you're safe to be free, or if you have to be locked up with injections by the hour. No one is ever going to know anything personal about you. And by the looks of it, no one ever has".

Inside his jaw, he was knawing away at his tongue, she couldn't tell. " Yeah, that's how things work when you're a fucked up foster kid. You're never with anyone long enough for them to start acting like they give a shit".

" Your adoptive mother cared".

" Yeah, and then someone shot her. Maybe that's not a risk you're willing to take".

Evelyn pressed the tip of her ballpoint pen into her cheek.

" Try me".


	2. Chapter Two

Cracker Jack

Author's Note- Woah. I was not expecting that many reviews in one day. Thank you all very much. I really don't know where I'm going with this story (I promise Jack wont bang the therapist though), I didn't think anyone would like it. Never the less, I hope you all continue enjoying the story.

Also, in the movie, Jack's age is never stated (just that he's the youngest), however the tombstones did say that it was 2004, therefore this story will take place in early 2005. Therefore, even though he was drinking, he's twenty. Thank you (haha).

Chapter Two

Lansing, Michigan- 1990

A shadow trickled over the spiky green grass, fairly rare when it was a sunny August day. The view from the kitchen window revealed the little boy bent over at the waist. His blonde hair hung down in front of his eyes, but it didn't break his concentration.

A water glass under one arm, and his teddy bear under the other, a sharp eye keeping watch for even the smallest insect that may move in the grass below. Nothing, it was silent. After the entire summer, they were probably beginning to catch on to him. The little boy straightened his back, oh well, there was always spring time.

" JACK!" the woman's voice screamed from inside the house. It was across the yard, and even the neighbors could perfectly hear that scream. And it was always his name.

His tiny feet froze to the ground, terrified. He had the option of returning to his house, or running away. Far away, anywhere, just as long as it was in the other direction. He felt his throat expanding. There were always those two choices, and whenever he heard his name, they'd cross his mind. But he never ran away, he didn't have the nerve, at least not at six years old. His legs were moving him towards the back porch, his skin forming into goosebumps, his eyes beginning to water.

Jack gently closed the back door, maybe if she didn't hear it, it could save him a few minutes. His little sister was kneeling at the kitchen table, hardly being old enough to see over the edge. Her big blue eyes, wider, as they usually were in this situation. She didn't speak, two years old, and the girl was yet to say one word yet. He handed over the bear, which she clutched in her small hands. Her eyes followed him as he disappeared out the kitchen doorway, and those same hands, went to block out the upcoming noises from her ears.

Detroit, Michigan- 2005

Evelyn quietly twirled her pen over the folder. He wasn't looking at her again, but at least he was talking. She couldn't get over the base thought that the turmoil of a young mans life began when he was only six, over fourteen years ago. But if she let him onto that, it wasn't going to help him.

" Is that when your mom started hurting you?"

He nodded, " yeah, but please, don't refer to her as my mom. She wasn't my mom".

" I'm sorry, but Jack, that happened to a lot of kids, you're not alone".

He cracked his thumb, " I can narrow it down" he muttered.

She paused, " was your sister put in a foster home?"

" Yeah, she was only four, they couldn't find enough homes for us to switch into that wanted two kids, so we were separated about a year later. They promised we'd always be able to get a hold of each other, but that didn't last. Evelyn…my mom Evelyn, spent a long time down at the center trying to find her. I have no idea where she is, or if she's even still alive".

That was the longest he had spoken to her in half an hour, maybe she was getting somewhere. " I'm sure she's alive, if she's anything like you, then she's fine. I can give you the number of an agency who helps reunite…"

" No" he interrupted quickly, " don't bother".

Evelyn's hope expired, " why not? She's your sister".

Jack shrugged, " I don't think it'd be a good idea for us to see each other again. She's probably in school and busy. Besides, as her older brother, I have nothing to show for her".

" You're her older brother Jack, your image doesn't matter".

" Well the fact that I killed someone does".

She waited a few moments. With past clients, it'd take several sessions for them to verbally admit why they were there. For Jack Mercer, it took an hour. Perhaps it slipped out, that he didn't mean to say it, because he seemed to curl up a bit more immediately. Both of them were silent for a few minutes.

He held his breath, " there, I admitted it. So now you can take off the wire and have them lock me up".

It was now crossing her mind that he was slowly becoming scared of his presence. " I don't tape record my sessions. You were convicted for murder, but not sentenced, which is why you're here. And even though you admitted it, that doesn't make you a criminal".

" It just makes me insane".

" No. You weren't mentally stable at the time, that doesn't make you insane. Someone who went through even have the things you've been through can't be held against such an action".

His eyes seemed to have turned a darker shade of blue as they returned into her glare. " You don't even know half of what I've been through. I told you my mom beat me up, big deal, you said it yourself, it happens".

" Okay, you're right. Go on…".

Authors Note- Yeah…I'm still trying to figure out a plot


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Woo, thanks again for the awesome reviews, it really helps when you're homesick in a dorm. But, college residence life means more time for stories. Still not sure where I'm going with this one, but as long as you all like it, who cares.

Cracker Jack- Chapter Three

His jaw was trembling, it always happened when he was nervous. It started when he was younger, whenever his mother would yell out his name. At least then he knew when it was coming, now he didn't know what this girl was going to get out of him next. But he didn't want her to see that he was beginning to become scared, holding his fist over his mouth. Once again, he wasn't looking at her, because it always seemed as though his eyes gave away more than he wanted people to know.

" Jack". It was only Evelyn's voice that time, but it didn't do much for him. He was afraid for her to see him, to think maybe he couldn't handle all the things that had happened to him, and needed her to pry it out of him. Which is why he didn't look over, even when she repeated his name.

She'd pause for a few seconds, giving him the chance to respond, but didn't not receive the slightest gesture. " Do you want to tell me about the Rilen family?". Jack shook his head. " Are you sure?".

" You said I didn't have to tell you anything if I didn't want to" he choked.

Evelyn heard from his voice that he was crying, and obviously didn't want her to catch on to that. She acted as though she didn't hear anything. " You're right, I did. Why don't we call it a day?" they both knew there as at least another half hour left in their first session, " you'll come back on Monday, and we'll take it from where we left off".

Jack nodded, getting up, and immediately rushing out of the room. He didn't stop until he was outside the building, and was sure that she wasn't following him. He fumbled through his jean pockets, soon before he remembered that he left his pack of cigarettes on the living room table at his moms house. He swore out loud at himself before wrapping his arms around one another for warmth. Usually, he was immune to the harsh Michigan winters, but with the newly formed moisture on his cheeks, it stung a little.

By the time he had reached the halfway point between the office and his house, he couldn't breathe. His chest felt too swollen to allow oxygen to pass through. He didn't want to go back to her, then again he didn't want to go to jail either. It's not that Jack had anything against the girl, maybe she was really trying to help. He accidentally made it obvious that he was in desperate need of it. But there were things that had happened to him, and he didn't want anyone else to know about it. It didn't feel safe, not to mention it to that girl, not even to think it over in his mind.

Once closing the front door, he ran upstairs, three at a time, ignoring given comments that came from the family room. He slammed his bedroom door, landing face first on his bed. His pillow did little justice to muffle the screaming, in the slightest instant, the door whipped open, slamming into the wall.

" What's wrong!" a frantic voice shrilled.

He flipped over, coming into view of Sophie's concentrated expression. He was use to the many facial expressions she cared to share. Despite Angel returning to the Navy about three months beforehand, she stayed in the Mercer house. Jack had no care, he was actually more concern of how Bobby was going to take it. Soon enough, it was just another person for him to make his cracks at. It was becoming enjoyable for him.

Jack slowly placed his hand over his mouth, " nothing, sorry, I didn't mean to…".

" You're crying".

He never understood why women assumed, and never asked. " No, it's sweat".

" No, it's thirty degrees outside". She continued over to his bed, seating herself on the edge of his bed next to his thighs, the furthest she had ever been in his room. " What's going on?".

" Nothing" he slid himself up against the mattress, " I'm fine".

Sophie placed her hand on his kneecap, gently sliding towards his waist, then returning to its starting position against his jeans. With each inch, he'd press himself into the wall. " Is it that shrink?".

Jack became more concentrated on watching the trail of her had pressing into his leg. " I said I was fine!". He didn't even realize he had been screaming until he rammed into Bobby at the bottom of the staircase, who tried to grab him. But for once, he proved that he was the stronger one, and made it out the door.

Sophie had stopped half way down the stairs, watching Jack's departure. Bobby turned to her after the front door had been slammed. " What did you do to him?".

Her eyes bulged, " you think I did something? For Christ sake Bobby, I was trying to make sure he was alright".

" Yeah, well after you two had that little peepshow when you got him wasted, maybe you ' comforting' him isn't exactly the brightest idea. Don't you think?".

Jack did not make it that far from the house after the escape. He was scrambling across the front lawn until he fell to his knees in the snow. Facing downwards, he saw the blood seep into the snow and he continued coughing, until soon enough, his vision went black.

Authors Note- Sorry its short, but I think I finally know where I'm going with this.


	4. Chapter Four

Cracker Jack

Author's Note: Woo! Reviews! In response to a few of them…Jack's not going to die, and…well that's about it. He's not going to die….I think….sometimes it isn't up to me. Anyways, this story has kind of been up in the air with my classes and all. I saw the movie for the fifth (and then sixth) time, and used the excuse that it would help with this story. Ha!

Chapter Four

Bobby Mercer sat stiffly in the orange plastic chair. Hospitals always made him nervous, and the chair wasn't helping. He never had luck in hospitals, not that they were meant for that, but it never seemed to end well. The last time he was in there, he had been called over to identify the body of his murdered mother.

Thankfully, Jack was not dead. At least, not yet. Doctors were never sure at that point, and if they were, they sure as hell weren't going to tell Bobby anything. Sophie had gone out the front door to catch Jack, and found him laying face down in the snow. By the time Bobby had gotten outside after hearing her scream, he was under the impression that she was attempting a make out session with his younger brother, but was actually performing CPR.

He was beginning to wonder why bad things happen to good people.

" Hey Bobby" he glanced up to see Jerry standing over him. He stood up, and exchanged a manly, brotherly hug. " How's he doing?".

Bobby shrugged, " he's still out cold, but they don't think there's anymore brain damage than there was before".

Jerry snarled, indicating that Bobby should lay off the comments while in the current situation. " What happened?".

" Seizure. Can you believe it? Twenty-year-olds can have seizures".

" The kid hasn't ever had more than a cold, what the hell could have caused this?".

Bobby Mercer was never the sensible one, " something scared him, I don't know. You've seen how rattled he's been since Mom died. Besides, he doesn't have the best memories to fall back on".

Late into the evening, Bobby stayed seated at Jack's hospital bedside. He had been allowed in a few hours earlier, yet there was no change. As he had been watching Jack sleep, he noticed that even in a comatose expression, he still looked scared. Scared to sleep. And eventually, that made Bobby afraid to sleep, thinking Jack would wake up, and he wanted to be there. But the nurse had assured him at one point that it'd be at least another twelve hours before he awoke. Still, he chose to stay, and slowly drifted off before midnight.

He wasn't sure whether it was traces of sleep in his mind, or someone was really walking around the hospital room. Gently lifting one eye open, Bobby caught the glimpse of another person, who was not a nurse.

She was dressed in jeans and a long sweater. Her wavy blonde hair laid over her shoulders. Defiantly too young (and attractive while he was staring at her) to be a nurse. She stood at the end of Jack's bed, gazing at his motionless body.

He leaned forward in the chair, " Jack never mentioned having a girlfriend".

The young woman's eyes darted in his direction, stunned, " Oh" she sighed, " I'm not his girlfriend".

" So you traveled all the way from, what was it, Atlantic City, just to see him?".

She continued glaring at him, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere close to who she really was. " No, actually, we just met earlier today" pausing, " I'm Evelyn, I'm Jack's therapist. You must be one of his brothers".

It didn't cross his mind how such an attractive young woman became a therapist, " oh, yeah, I'm Bobby. Sorry, I wasn't expecting his shrink to show up". Or his shrink to look that, but hopefully that topic wouldn't slip out.

" Well, considering his situation, by law, if he turns up in the hospital, my office is suppose to be contacted. Coming to see him was my own choice though, he didn't look to well when he left earlier. I suppose this is confirmation".

Bobby felt the corner of his mouth tweak, " ' his situation', you mean that he killed a guy, right?".

Evelyn nodded, " yeah".

" I was thinking he was going to get some old bat that had a staring contest with him for an hour, but now I'm sure he took one look at you and now you know everything from his shoe size to his favorite flavor of ice cream".

She shook her head, " not even close. In fact, I cut our session early to give him a break. I only found out a few things. It wasn't much, but I can't repeat any of it".

" There's nothing you can tell me about that kid that I don't already know, trust me".

Evelyn wasn't looking too much at Bobby, but more at Jack's sleeping body. Every so often, a limb would twitch, and he'd slightly shift position on the bed. " I'm not too worried about it. I saw his medical record since he was fourteen, I can try to wing it".

Bobby assumed they were on to the same thing, " yeah, you always hear about girls, well, women, being abused like that. Then you hear it happens to guys too, and its suddenly very unfamiliar".

Turns out they weren't. She glared at him, " what?".

" Shit" he grunted, stalling…stalling, " you, uh, don't know, do you?" Evelyn remained motionless, " about when he was in foster homes?".

She shrugged, " not in detail, his file only lists the one he was in before your mom adopted him" she still wasn't catching on to his expressive hinting, " the Rilen family, I belive".

Bobby's eyebrows flared against his forehead, " yeah, that's the one you need to concentrate on".

" Why?".

She could have worn she saw him smirking, " if you can't tell me, why should I be able to tell you?".

What is he? Seven? " I'm so sorry, I was under the impression that you wanted to help your brother, I guess I was wrong".

Bobby smirked, taking a liking to an attitude that did not fight back to his. " You're right, I'm sorry, its an automatic reaction, I don't take intimidation very well".

" I wasn't looking to intimidate anyone. Maybe I can get a boost on what's going on with him. It's cheating in a way, but, you don't want your little brother to go to jail, right?".

He softly shook his head, " no, at least not for what he did this time. He deserves a fucking medal, not…this". Pausing, Bobby waited for her indication that she really wanted to hear what he had to say next. When she refused to look away from him, he figured it was good enough. " He wasn't even sixteen yet, when my mom finally got a hold of him. She had known him for awhile, placing him in foster homes since he was a kid. He took a liking to her, and since she pretty much loved everyone, the feeling was mutual. Jack had it rough, I remember Mom telling me about him when she first brought him home. Well, she told my older brother, I just listened in. But…..Jack".

Evelyn turned around to follow his gazing path to the bed. Slowly and weakly, Jack was looking back at the two of them. It looked as thought he didn't like the idea that his therapist was standing in his hospital room, or maybe that was just what the drugs did.

Bobby brushed past her to his side, " hey buddy" he said quietly, " its good to see you awake".

Leaning over, she caught a quick glimpse of his tired eyes before the blue irises rolled back up into his eyelids. A long, loud alarm began ringing, startling both her and Bobby.

" That's the heart monitor! Fuck! Get the nurse!".


	5. Chapter Five

Cracker Jack

Author's Note: Haha, your reviews make me laugh. I live for cliffhangers, and love to see you guys squirm. I wrote the ending of this in my history class. So, in the case that I may fail, you all owe me some reviews

Chapter Five

Evelyn leaned against the wall, her sweater pressing against the lumpy paint. She casually watched Bobby, pacing back and forth in front of the waiting room chairs. He had been following the same pattern for a few minutes, since they were pushed out of Jack's room. At least, it had to have been a few minutes, it defiantly felt longer, but that was only in their minds. Anything could be happening, it was a hospital, the options were endless, but they were clueless. Damn those waiting rooms.

The conversation about Jack's teenage years didn't continue. It could have, easily, they weren't saying anything else in that little room, but it didn't. The ball was in his court, he'd have to be the one to bring it up again, not her. Not like she had the desire to.

An older woman dressed in a white nurses uniform stood in the doorway, and Bobby immediately noticed her presence.

" What the hell is going on!" he snapped.

The woman used her hands for body language that he needed to calm down. " Bobby, getting wired up is not going to do anything right now". Evelyn didn't know at the time, but this woman had years of experience on how to handle the Mercer brothers.

" If I wanted a therapist, I'd go to her" he pointed to Evelyn, " but you're a nurse, and I want to know what's going on with my brother".

She paused, which was rather brave when dealing with Bobby Mercer of all people. " Jack slipped into a coma".

Those were the words to calm him down, he took a step back from her before responding. Evelyn herself had pulled herself into a standing position when the news was delivered. " What?" he had questioned it, though understood very clearly what he had been told, " he was awake, we both saw him, he woke up, how could he be in a coma?".

" He went into cardiac arrest, he almost died. The doctors were able to save him, he's stable now, but the shock left him in a coma".

Bobby shock his head, " how is that possible? There wasn't even anything wrong with him".

She had a rather sympathetic expression, but it seemed more forced than anything else, " some things in medicine cannot be explained".

He turned his back to the nurse, " people don't wake up from comas".

" I'm sorry Bobby". And without any constellation, she left them alone again in the room.

" What a bitch" Evelyn muttered, then walked over to stand in front of him, " Bobby, that's not true" he shrugged, " come on, you know Jack, he's young and he's healthy, he's going to be fine".

" Jack's not strong enough" he said very softly.

Evelyn couldn't respond. She could easily tell him the same story over and over, that Jack was going to make it. But she hardly knew Jack, and she knew less about Bobby. He was meant to be the tough one, but not in the sense that his youngest brother could be dying (whether or not he really was, that's how it was playing in his head). She slowly embraced Bobby into a gentle hug, her plan B for therapeutic relief. At first, his muscles tensed, and she thought he'd push her away. But soon enough, he returned the gesture, though she was still able to feel the doubts in him.

They stayed still for a few moments.

" It's getting late, come on, I'll walk you to your car".

She was too concentrated on Bobby to keep track of where she was watching, occasionally bumping into a wall or two. They finally reached the poorly lit parking lot, for Evelyn to find that the spot where she had parked her car, only contained pieces of broken glass.

" Fuck!" she yelled.

Bobby assumed her car had been stolen, " you can't leave anything alone in this city". She walked in circles around the area, cursing and pulling at her scalp. " Where do you live?".

" Far" she groaned, " far, far away".

He twitched his nose without her noticing, " well, since it's already two, why don't you just come to my house? I can drive you home in the morning…the later morning" she glared at him, as though being insulted by his offer, " other people live there, so it won't be weird or anything".

She closed her eyes, " I'm too tired to be modest". She followed him across the lot to where he had parked his moms mini-van.

The house Bobby called home had the perfect clash of a sweet elderly woman's home that had been occupied by two to three guys and a girl who refused to clean. Evelyn was barely in the doorway before that was noticeable. They hardly had the chance to get their shoes off before a well developed woman with long, black hair appeared right in their faces.

" You could have called", she had a very thick accent.

Bobby put up a chance to start a ' Mexican Mamba' with her, for once. " Like you give a shit".

She leaned against the doorway, snarling at Evelyn, " how's Jack?".

" Coma, thank you".

The woman was back at her stance, " fuck you, I saved his damn life. He would have died if I hadn't gone out there".

" He wouldn't have gone out there if you weren't harassing him".

She took offense and defeat from that comment, ceasing the argument, and returning her attention to Evelyn. " Who's the blonde?".

Bobby quickly glanced at her, " Evelyn, sorry to say, meet Sophie. We're not too sure who's girlfriend she is right now, but its in the works. Sophie, this is Evelyn, don't touch her, she's Jack's therapist".

" So this is her, huh?" Evelyn felt intimidated and frozen as she was eyed from feet to forehead, " he'd love to hear that you're banging his therapist".

He moaned, " for the love of God, I'm not…doing anything to her. And don't you get started on banging".

Maybe Jack wasn't the only one with problems.

Bobby and Sophie finally ceased with their arguing, realizing that Evelyn had been watching them the entire time.

He brought her upstairs, stopping at the first room on the second floor. " It's not too weird or anything sleeping in Jack's room is it? It's the only one vacant for tonight, and I don't recommend the basement".

Evelyn shook her head, " no, it's fine".

" If you want, you can track down some of his clothes, wear them for bed, it might be more comfortable".

" That wont be necessary".

Bobby stepped out of the room, prepared to leave her alone in the dark, " alright, I'll be sleeping in the room next door. Scream if you need anything, I seem to respond to that the best. Good night". He closed the door, and she could hear him walk into the other room.

Evelyn sat on the side of the mattress, the bed was somewhat made. The comforter and the sheets were a bit wrinkled, but she didn't know that it was from Jack earlier in the day. It could have been a sack of rocks, but she was so tired, she didn't care. Without even taking off her shoes, she fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Chapter Six

Cracker Jack

Authors Note: Sorry about the wait, I've been really busy lately with things that aren't really that important. Anyways, I hope you are all still interested, let me know. And on a side note, for you movie fans, the Four Brothers DVD will be released on Tuesday, December 20th of this year (just in time for Christmas). Once again, enjoy.

Chapter Six

When Evelyn awoke the next morning, it took a moment to realize that she had not been kidnapped, but instead spent the night in the Mercer home. Her car had been stolen, she still had to do something about that, and Bobby had driven her there.

She was finally able to see Jack's room in the gray sunlight. Sitting up at nearly seven in the morning, she studied the pale blue walls surrounding her. Random posters and picture of The Rolling Stones and various hockey players, it was kind of charming. Typical, for a teenager, seeing as the court papers had claimed that he stopped living in the house at the age of eighteen. The minor of fact of sitting in his room kept Evelyn's mind focused on the fact that Jack Mercer could not be punished for what he had done.

Quietly opening the bedroom door, Evelyn snaked her head around to see that the door to the room Bobby had been sleeping in was closed. Yet, she heard some fumbling downstairs in the kitchen.

Following the hallway at the bottom of the staircase, she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, to see Sophie sitting at the table, a cup of tea in front of her. She looked up, immediately snarling at her.

" Was Bobby's bed comfortable?" she asked coldly.

Evelyn tugged at the neck of her sweater, " I, don't know, I slept in Jack's room".

She continued bobbing a tea bag around the rim of her mug, " would you like some?".

" Sure" Evelyn took it as an offer to sit down, across from Sophie, who poured hot water out of the kettle and into a matching mug, sliding it in front of the guest. She did not produce a tea bag. Evelyn glared that the mug, knowing there would not be any tea, but also comprehending that she did not want to start an unnecessary brawl with a woman she did not know. " Thank you" and she took a sip.

Sophie began cracking her knuckles in what could have been a threatening manner. " So, you think you could make us talk to you about Jack since you obviously couldn't beat it out of him?".

Evelyn felt a lump forming in her throat, " no, someone stole my car at the hospital last night, it was late, so Bobby just offered that I stay here".

" This is Detroit. You can't fix stolen cars, and you can't fix people like Jack".

She bit her lip, " I can't help but disagree".

" Why were you at the hospital last night?".

" I was worried about him" she began to feel a bit more daring against this woman, " why does it matter to you? You don't have a relation to him".

Sophie smirked, or at least that was how it looked, " more than what most people suspect, and certainly more than any you have with him".

Evelyn was intrigued, " do you consider Jack more than your boyfriends brother?".

" Jack and I get along just fine, as a matter of fact, we have a relationship that is stronger than the one I have with my _boyfriend_".

" Oh really".

" That's right, we have one or two things in common, I'm sure you understand" she noticed a certain are of her body that Sophie was gesturing. It was visible from over the tabletop.

Evelyn felt the hairs on the back of her neck curling, " excuse me for a minute, where's the bathroom?".

" Upstairs".

She nearly flipped out of her chair and quickly paced back towards the stairs. This wasn't about her bladder. Bobby was stepping off her landing, perfect, she didn't have a flight of stairs to run in order to get to him.

" Morning" he smirked, his hair horribly out of place.

Screw the morning. " Look, Bobby" she began frantically, and quietly so Sophie wouldn't overhear, " I know it's none of my business, but, considering all that's going on _aside_ from the coma, I don't think the responsibilities of being a father are what Jack needs right now".

Bobby mocked an eyebrow, she had to be crazy or something, " I couldn't agree more. Trust me, he took sex-ed, twice, he's good to go".

" Then why were Sophie and him trying to have a baby? Was this going on before he shot…".

His expression suddenly soured, " wait, wait, wait" his voice was getting louder, " who said Sophie and Jack were having a baby!".

" Sophie" her voice squeaked.

Bobby brushed past her, storming into the kitchen where Sophie was already on her feet. " You bitch, you snaking little bitch!" by now, he was yelling. " So that's why you did it, drunk my fucking ass! What are you trying to pull!".

" Cool your jets Bobby" she snapped, " I don't even know if I'm pregnant yet or not".

He extended his arms in a sarcastic fashion, " oh! Well in that case…" he paused, his anger cooling, yet becoming deeper, " why would you do this to him?".

Sophie shrugged, " I thought maybe a baby would bring Angel back home".

" Not a baby that's not his! And the fact that he's going to be the uncle and not the father is going to effect things just…a little…bit".

Evelyn carefully watched Bobby from the corner of her eye, afraid to look directly at him, even though she was not a suspect in this situation. He was tugging at his hair, pacing around in circles within the small kitchen. He seemed to be easing a bit.

Sophie remained motionless, like Evelyn, she was waiting to see what he was to say next.

" Okay" he said calmly, " I never liked you staying here in the first place, and all this just reminded me of that. You can stay here" his voice was beginning a threatening tone," until you find out whether or not you're actually pregnant. If you aren't, you better get the hell out, and I seriously have my doubts about Angel defending you on that one. And if you are pregnant, well, you're going to regret the day you ever touched Jack Mercer. And that, is a promise".

Authors Note- I honestly didn't know how to end this chapter, I'll work on that…


	7. Chapter Seven

Cracker Jack

Authors Note: Yeah about that delay…well, I'm the author I don't have to explain it. I finally bought the DVD do the spark came back. Well, I hope you will re-kindle your interest in the story. Enjoy! P.S- Happy New Year

Chapter Seven

" I'm sorry".

Her voice was silent and weak. She wasn't even sure that he heard it. Bobby sat on the very edge of the couch cushion in the living room, head in hands, lightly tugging at the roots of his hair.

" Don't worry about it" he spoke, indicating he had an acknowledgment of her speaking. Another moment later, and he gazed up at her, " this isn't your problem, I didn't mean for you to get dragged into this".

Why was she becoming intimidated by this guy? " I already was, and it was my own decision. This isn't your fault".

Bobby looked away again, " I'm his older brother, the entire role of that was to make sure nothing ever happened to him. This was going on under the same roof as me, and I did shit about it!".

" You're not responsible for Jack's life. Not for what happened to him now, and not what happened to him when he was six! Especially not when he was a little kid, you weren't even in his life yet!".

" But I'm here now!" his voice became louder than he expected, and he didn't find it fair directing it towards her, " I'm here now".

Evelyn sat herself in the arm chair parallel to the couch, " and that's all that matters, okay? What's done is done, no one is ever able to change things that have already happened".

He glared at her and let out a small laugh, " you're really good at dishing out this therapist crap aren't you?".

" Well sometimes all those clichés are really what I want to say, it just comes out cheesy. But, if Jack doesn't have you, who does he have?".

As though he was waiting for that exact cue on the other side of the front door, Jerry burst into the house, standing in a rather angry position before the two. " Just what the hell do you think you're doing Bobby!"

" Oh for crying out loud!" Bobby jumped to his feet in a fury, " I didn't have sex with her!". Silence, and immediate confusion to go along with the size of Evelyn's eyeballs, but then Bobby realized that was not what his brother was aiming at. " Never mind, Jerry this is Evelyn, she's Jack's therapist. Evelyn, this is Jerry, another brother".

Jerry ignored the introduction, as well as Evelyn's presence, and returned to his younger brother. " What made you stupid enough to put Jack under a DNR!"".

" DNR?".

" Do not resisitate! If Jack's heart stops beating again, he's going to die, they're not going to do anything to save him because they don't matter to him since we aren't exactly higher class!".

The deep color of Bobby's eyes darkened, " what the hell makes you think I'd do something like that to him?".

" Well a family member has to do it, and you're the only suspect since it wasn't me, Angels gone, and mom is dead!".

Evelyn stood up between the brothers, " no, hang on, that's not how it works. A family member is the only person that can remove it. But, Jerry's right about why it was signed on to him".

Bobby shrugged, " so then we just go down there and get rid of the damn thing".

" You're not blood related" she said it so quietly, as though it was her fault that it was even a problem to begin with.

" Would they even know the difference?".

" Birth certificate, hospital record, the nurses would have both on file".

Both Bobby and Jerry returned to the couch, ignoring their brawl that had just occurred. Evelyn couldn't help but feel out of place. Jack wasn't her brother, she barely knew Jack let alone the other two men in the room.

" I should get going" again, she was quiet. She was sure she could slip out undetected, but Bobby was quick to respond to her attempt.

He quickly stood between her and the front door, " Evelyn, you might have friends in certain areas". She paused, only because she wasn't sure on how she was going to get home in the first place. " Maybe you can help, with the whole family thing. For Christ sake, he's only a kid, he can't die, especially on purpose".

" Bobby, if you can't do anything, I sure as hell can't".

Robotically, Bobby began shaking his head in protest. " No, but maybe…maybe you can help to try and find his sister".


End file.
